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Monthly Archives: July 2015

I am not joking. Many of you will know me for my bad “pun-y” jokes; this is no joke! I have shared this recipe with people before this post and they all agreed with me. Yummy!

Simple. Delicious. That cedar smell….. Le sigh… Cannot be beaten!

I purchased a wonderfully thick plank from Loblaws and have had it sitting around the house for a while. I soaked it for approximately 7 hours. Mind you… It was too big for my sink and biggest cookie sheet so I had to rotate it every hour in the sink! It all worked out just fine, never fear!

My salmon was also a buy from Loblaws and it was a wonderful piece that I cut into three. My dad however swears by the darker salmon you can purchase at Costco. He had to agreed though that my piece in my marinade was devine!

Also, fresh rosemary is key. You just can’t beat it!

Here we go! Found on theenchantedcook blog.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole grain mustard

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary

Method:

In medium bowl whisk all ingredients together. If desired, reserve a small amount of sauce for dipping later.

Place salmon in shallow baking dish and pour rest of sauce over. Allow to marinade about 30 minutes in refrigerator (I think mine was in for about an hour).

Place cedar planks on grill for approximately 3 minutes, then flip the planks over and place salmon on them. Close lid and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes or until salmon is cooked through (obviously it is fish and cooking times may vary depending on how thick your pieces are).

This Taco Tuesday I am going to give you two brand new recipes to use Taco seasoning in, but no shell in sight!

Do you have a member of your family (like me) that does not like tacos? (*cough* daddy *cough*) The mess… all the food in one bite and they are a sectioned eater… Well then these recipes are for you!

They are both so extremely simple that they should be illegal! Then the real kicker is that they are yummy to boot. What is great about Taco seasoning as well is that they can be bought “regular” or “hot & spicy”, depending on the people you are feeding. I recently bought 4 packs for 5$ at Loblaws so I am stocked up!

The first of my recipes today is the Easy Taco Bake!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

15-oz. can tomato sauce

1-1/4 oz. package taco seasoning mix

3 cups elbow macaroni, cooked

8-oz. container sour cream

1½ cups shredded cheddar/mozarella cheese, divided

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Garnish: chopped green onions

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 13″x9″ baking dish.

Brown beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain. Stir in tomato sauce and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Combine cooked macaroni, sour cream and ½ cup cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Add the beef mixture to the macaroni mixture and stir to combine.

Spoon macaroni mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped green onions for garnish. I also broil the top a little bit since I enjoy the cheesy topping like that 🙂

Yummy!! Was gobbled up!

Second recipe is this easy Southwest Shrimp Salad with Honey Lime Dressing.

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 – 8 cups mixed lettuce leaves

1 pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

½ half cup red onion, diced

1 avocado, cut into bite size pieces

1 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and cut into bite size pieces

1 tomato chopped up

1/2 cucumber chopped up

Dressing Ingredients:

¼ cup of sour cream

juice and zest of one lime

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons honey

2 – 3 teaspoons taco seasoning mix

Method:

In a small bowl or cruet, combine the sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, oil, honey and taco seasoning. Stir or shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Place the shrimp in a container with a lid. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the shrimp. Place the lid on the container. Shake to coat.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over a medium flame. Add shrimp to the pan, making sure they lie flat and do not over lap. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the side touching the pan starts to turn pink. Flip the shrimp and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the shrimp to cool.

In a large bowl combine lettuce, peppers, onion, avocado, and tomatoes. Add shrimp and cheese.

Yesterday my MOH invited me to a lovely backyard BBQ at her home not minutes away.

As per BBQ culture, it was a BYOB and I decided to wing a Sangria recipe.

The results were fantastic. I am not a fan of red wine so I knew white or rosé were my options and therefore had to think of what would go well with one of those options.

I had raspberries left over from the Chia Raspberry Lemonade and my fall back summer drink is Ameretto and Lemonade. Therefore, my intentions were to head straight for the lemonade section at my grocery store. I was pleasantly surprised to find they make a raspberry lemonade and I was sold. All that was left was to add another hint of flavour and so I chose mint. The “fruits” of my labours were scrumptious.

This recipe comes from my own brain and as such there is no link for you to directly reach it….. Sorry not sorry 🙂

Here we go! Sorry there are no pictures of the ingredients, but I’m sure you’ll be ok 🙂

You’ll need:

1 bottle white wine – I bought the grocery store Yellow Tail

1 bottle Simply Lemonade Raspeberry Lemonade

1-1/2 cups raspberries

Two sprigs mint

Tear the mint leaves and throw them into your pitcher. Put the raspberries into the pitcher and muddle them with a spoon into the mint. Pour both bottles into your pitcher and stir!

Highland Ballerina

I'm a first time blogger from Montreal, Canada. I teach ballet, do highland dancing, play the tenor drum in a bagpipe band, teach at a high school, and much more. I live with my better half and our wonderful English Setter, Winston. I intend on writing about food, dance, crafts, school, and more. My only wish is that I make you smile and every once in a while laugh. :)
Keep calm and dance on.